How to Grill the Perfect Steak

How to Grill the Perfect Steak
(well, perfect to me)

This last year, I was able to attend a presentation on how to cook the perfect steak. I was super excited because I had cooked a steak before… it just didn’t taste very good. After the presentation, I was excited to give it a try!

First things First. Don’t be intimidated. It is a lot easier than you think!

1. Get a cut of meat. The ones I got were: Rib Eye, Porter House, Filet Mignon, and T-bone. I’ll be honest I don’t know a lot about steaks… as I’m guessing most of you are the same. When I went to the presentation he told everyone to go and talk with the butcher.

Along with the types of meats, you can also choose from Select, Choice and Prime. You can watch this little clip to know the difference. It is still hard for me to tell the difference from the packages at the store. So I took the presenters advice and talked to the butcher. He was THRILLED to talk with me. He actually talked with me for 20 minutes then pulled out some prime out from behind the counter. I’m not saying that every butcher will do that, but they sure will help and answer any questions you have.

2. Seasoning. The best seasoning for a good cut of steak is Salt and Pepper. Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper is preferred. What the presenter taught us was to take the steak out of the fridge for about 10 minutes. Next add your salt and pepper. I like a lot of salt but add whatever you like. Let the steak sit for 30 minutes on the counter. (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART) The steak will puddle with juices then it will soak back in with the salt.

3. Heat. Crank up your grill to as high as it can go. Mine can hit about 560 degrees. The secret is to get it really HOT. If you want your steak cooked past medium (medium heat or well done) let the grill heat up to its highest temperature, then turn the heat down a little. If you don’t, the surface of the steak can burn and dry out before the center hits these higher temperatures.

4. Cook it up! Finally we are ready to put your steak onto the grill. Make sure you stay close to your grill because time goes by quickly, so have everything you need on hand.

5. Time. Before we put that steak on, lets talk about time. If you are looking for a medium rare 1-inch thick steak our cooking times are going to be one minute (four units of one minute). If you want your steak medium well or well done, turn down the heat now to a medium high heat (but leave it hot for the start). Your cooking times are going to be two minutes. If using a thicker steak (but under 2-inches) then the cooking times are going to be 1 1/2 minutes or 3 minutes for medium well or well. If your steak is less than 3/4-inch thick (but more than 1/2-inch) the cooking times are going to be 45 seconds or 1 minute for medium well to well.

Now, open the grill, put the steak on. You can do it!

With the steaks on the grill, close the lid and and start counting the time. I’m going to stick with the 1 minute cooking time (because it is easier), but adjust based on your steak thickness and desired finished steak.

6. 1 Minute. When your one minute is up, open your grill quickly and flip your steaks. Count another minute, and flip again. Count one more minute and flip one last time.

7. No poking. Don’t ever poke your steak with a fork or skewer because the juices will all run out. ALWAYS use tongs to flip your steaks (these long tongs are my favorite).

8. More time. If your steak needs more cooking time, leave it where it is and continue grilling on a medium heat until done.

9. Resting. This is another important part. When your steak is done cooking, take it off the grill and put it on a plate. Let it rest there for 5 minutes.

10. Now you are ready to eat! It is best to eat your steak while it is hot and off the grill. Re-heating your meat whether by oven or microwave, can dry it out. It is still good…. but right of the grill is much better!

(If you are wondering…. the butcher gave me some advise on how to prepare it. After step number 2 I poured a bottle of BBQ sauce over top of my steaks and let them marinade for 24 hours. I cooked some just with salt and some with the BBQ sauce. Both turned out AMAZING!)

3 Comments

I agree with many of these tips, but I’m still debating the no poking one. We always poked our steaks growing up, about 100 tonnes in each side, before pouring marinade on it. The idea was that the holes would help the juices soak in. It always worked for us and we had juicy steaks.

Nowadays I mostly use soy sauce as a simple & quick marinade. It’s salty enough that you don’t need any extra salt!

Kayleigh, pretty sure it’s okay to poke before cooking. I do too, seems to tenderize a bit. I think they are talking about while it is cooking after the outside has been seared, so the juices don’t leak out.

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